aplumma

Retirement didn't last very long Cliff. Glad to see you still have your drive to do work. Give us more details as you can and If I am a candidate feel free to P.M. me but I understand if I am not me being so far away. Thanks Art

Thats a shame I am glad to get the input. I have a few of the older series and they are a great reel. I guess at this time the deal looks less than a deal. Art

Just a heads up if you want a good solid reel at a great price Cabelas has a flyer out for the 2012 line and has all of the Chronachs for a new lower price of 199.00 USD. I am not sure if it is more up North but look for the price to drop its one of my favorite reels. Art

I was on a job 6 miles from the pentagon. Their was people crying in the street as they looked over at the smoke coming from that direction. I headed home glued to the radio as the fighter jets scrambled and helicopters covered the air. The roads were jammed as people tried to get home. The world was changed that day and every time the date 9/11 comes up bow your head for a moment for the lives lost that tragic day. Art

A lures got to start somewhere either you heard it was a good lure or you caught fish with it so their has to be some kind of confidence to tie it. I usually find I will tie on a rubber bait in an unknown color to see if it is the color of the day though. Art

Well at .14 cents a lure you can call them sinkers and still have done well. On Ebay they have the origin of the shipper on the right side most of the lures from The East are poor in quality and the prices are really cheap it's the shipping that is painful. If you do a search on Ebay for bulk fishing lures you will sometimes get a break on the shipping as you will be buying them by the lot and then you can gift or sell them to locals and recoop your money. Realize though your friends will avoid you like the plague if you try to sell them bad lures. Art

instead of a guitar string since orifices are different sizes get a set of touch cleaning picks they have all of the sizes and you won't damage the sizing on the jets. Glad it worked out for you. Art

Check the linkage on the powerhead to see if the timing advancement linkage has not become disconnected. It is the part that as you advance the throttle it movers the base under the flywheel. Art

send a P.M. to Dan C or Daplumma they might have the answer.Cliff Art

Sync the carbs is not difficult you will need to have the directions to do it though. It is a process of opening the carbs full open and setting the butterflies at 90 degrees. Time to do is less than 15 min the first time. When cleaning the carbs if you remove any screws that are an adjustment first count the turns it takes to seat them lightly and then remove them for cleaning.If you separate something that is an adjustment make a mark that goes from one part to the other then realign the marks on reassembling them. Clean all orifices with a torch cleaning set do not run drill bits thru them a 1/100 of an inch change can kill a jet and replacement will be needed.After you clean it use air and carb cleaner thru all passages with all of the jets removed wrap the carb in a rag just in case you forgot to remove an O ring or Small part it will keep you from shooting it somewhere in the garage. You will hear a ting noise and have no idea what you are looking for. After you have cleaned it with air and carb cleaner.... do it again... now once more.... ok now reassemble it their is a measurement on what to set the floats at if you have not bent or damaged the setting you can usually skip this step but be aware you might have to remove the carbs and get back in them if you guessed wrong. Since you possible have a float issue take the float and hold it in the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket and check for bubbles. If it bubbles it is leaking and replacement is needed. No bubbles then hose down with carb cleaner and dry with air. After assembling the carb turn it upside down and blow thru the gas inlet port with a piece of hose. If you can blow thru it then the float is still sticking reclean/replace needle and if removable seat assy. Reassemble onto motor and make all connections. Pump up the ball and if you can get any fuel to come out of the carb into the throat of the carb you have a stuck flaot on that throat remove and R R. It's not a hard job but pay attention to what you are doing take pictures if you are unsure and be methodical in your cleaning. Most carb rebuilds need no jets but a fresh float needle and gaskets are the best way if they are easily available. Do not use any gasket materials on the carb rebuild it will come back to haunt you in the worst place possible torn gasket is not repairable. Art

I installed hydraulic steering on my 1989 150hp ranger and it works very well. The unit that they put in will most likely be non assisted hydraulic which means the steering column is the pump. You do not need the motor running to use it. The disadvantage of the hydraulic systems are they have 4-6 turns lock to lock compared to a cable of 2-3. The bleeding process is critical just like the brake system and is as easy as a brake system to bleed. The replacement of cables in a finished hull usually requires the removal of the motor to get the cables out and back into the ram sleeve if they switch to hydraulic then it is a matter of just cutting the old cables out and feeding the 3/8 inch tube thru the passage. The ram assy bolts to the motor and the helm pump fits in the place of the pinion system. I have found it is a lot easier with the hydraulic system to make turns and you have zero countersteer. Art

You are so correct Dan I have seen the daily report arrive at the local Gas station and he punches up the new prices on the computer then he is on the way to get his cup of coffee. Technology has made it possible for the companies to maximize their profits and pass it on to themselves and reward the stockholders. Art

Really??? come on dude The USA conspiracy is now tied into oil The price of gas here in the USA has dropped in proportion to the availability of oil and the recent release by the International Energy Agency says that Libya is the reason for the decision to release oil reserves. This is being done to soften the landing since the world is known to consume more oil in the latter part of the year and Libyas unrest has disrupted its ability to supply the amount they had been putting into the Global Economy. Why is it high at the pumps because we will pay it. Art

Happy B day Paul. Art

I agree my auto mechanic is the same way he picks up my wife's car and fixes it then drops it off. I go by and pay him. He gets to repair all 4 of my vehicles and I TRUST him that is the key ingredient. A friend of mine truck wouldn't start I called Tim and asked if he could help. His help was to jump into their rollback drive 20 miles bring the truck in and find the ground strap on the starter motor was bad. Replaced the strap and handed the guy a $245.00 Bill towing and all. He was back running calls in 3 hours The next day he dropped of a case of beer and scheduled to have $1500.00 worth of work done. Look around folks their are some really great people out their to help you in your home repair needs Don't support the bad ones. Art

I have in my hands a list that has different contractors that will do work at any of my customers houses for a reasonable price if they mention my name to them. The reason is they have all been screened by me and given the instructions that my customers are to be treated the same way I treat them... with excellence. If the customer is unhappy they are told to call me and I will mediate the issue. I have to this day never had to do this. I have run my company modeled after Daplummas company right down to making it unnecessary to advertise or even put a name or logo on the trucks. The business is word of mouth it means people are so happy they tell their friends who we are. Their is a trust built up even before you enter the door. While not normal keep looking their are companies that work the same old fashion way they earn your trust and you are grateful for a fair price and a great job. Art

If the job required 2 people to pull the well and it takes 2 people to put it back then yea the charge for two people is correct. It is not reasonable to expect them to stop the clock on the helper if he is helping the mechanic as he can. If they showed up to fix a toilet or install a faucet then the helper becomes a student and then he is free. This is normal for all of the trades and just by the nature of work and the expense of using two people on a job it would not be possible to charge by the work minute and be fair to either party. BTW the $80.00 per hour is cheap compared to other places. Art

Cool deal looks like you got a good combo put together that will give you years of enjoyment Geoff. Art

O.K. I'm caught up for now. We dodged a bullet on this one here on the farm. Their was a High Pressure pushing on us from West that keep most of the issues on the coast. We got 1-2 inches of rain and winds gusts only in the 40 mph range. So it was branches and leaf debris to get up up all in all no damage. The Boat rode out a 4ft surge at high tide without any ill effects. I checked it this morning and the canvas was still in place with no water intrusion and it looked like it had gotten a good washing. I checked the power and water to the boat and both were still on and the batteries were topped off so no ill effects thankfully. The only casualty was a 2 1/2 ft eel that I had in my eel trap for bait was accidenly released by my friend so the cage did not get damaged he cleared it and put it in the boat before the storm. Thanks for all of your concern it mean a lot to us down here. Art

I reset this to keep it relevant. lets get back on track before this gets locked guys. Art

Is that a pergo floor or is it real wood. Nice rod just messin with you. Art

The process of powder coating is melting the powder into a solid sheet on the metal. It causes a bond between the CLEAN metal and the plastic. You can clear coat it if you want but it is a step that is not needed if the powder cured correctly. I have used powder coating on motorcycle casings, lawn furniture,chisels, and tool handles without clear coating. If you really want you can get a clear coat powder that we use to keep aluminum from turning after you polish it it adds depth without a chemical reaction. Art

If you search for a process called "powder coating" it will explain the process. Just to note though anything you cook the spoons in should not be used for food afterwards. I found for small items using an old toaster oven works fine. The process of cleaning the spoons after sanding is important and spraying them down with brake cleaner then blowing them off before you preheat them helps. Once cleaned though don't touch them with your hands or the coating will not bond correctly. Finishing off with a clear coat is not needed if the prep is correct the bonding to the metal is harder than paint and is used on motorcycle casings and with special powder 1000 degree exhaust systems. Art

No damage but I thought a helicopter was right over the house hovering then it dawned on me it was an earthquake. Art

O.K. this is a good one lots of illegal things going on but lets see if we can make sense out of it. The way I understand it is your sink was draining correctly until it stopped draining however when you pushed the vent to open it it drains fine. Here is what I see The drainline is roughed in to high for the sinks you have. The drains have excessive trap backpressure to overcome that means the water flows down further and then up further than normal making it drain poorly. This is not the problem but is an issue. The dishwasher is hard piped but has been leaking I see the stains and your statement of not using it for 6 months is a clue. If you didnt use the dishwasher and it is dry in the bottom you do not have a trap loop to keep it from sucking air. It has been acting as your vent is my guess. Since you taped up the pipe you took away its attempt to vent. I think that if you pipe it in correctly using a continuous center waste assembly from the basket strainer to the dishwasher tee. Then run to the trap keeping it all as high as possible then place a tee into the pipe rolled off to the side with an 1/8 bend. Hook up the line to the wall and then come off the 1/8 bend over to the edge of the cabinet to a 90. You will face the 90 up and place the vent in the highest point above the bottom of the sink but below the counter top. That should get you back in business. Art